Yohan Blake

Like his countryman Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake, 22, grew up poor in the Jamaican countryside. For Blake and other outstanding Jamaican sprinters, escaping poverty was a driving force in their careers. “We’re hungry for something,” Blake says. “We want it so bad.” Blake got it — he won a world championship in the 100 meters last year. But his title comes with a caveat: Bolt, who is also his training partner, was disqualified from the final because of a false start. Blake knows that many fans don’t view him as the true world champ. “I understand why people say that,” he says. “Bolt is the king of track and field.” He’s the king for now: Blake beat Bolt in both the 100-m and 200-m finals at the Jamaican trials, so Bolt must now thwart an upstart rival in London.